Toilet tank flush valve



J- AMENT TOILET TANK FLUSH VALVE Jan. 2, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Aug.12, 1965 YIFIG.I

FIG. 3

INVENTOR. MYRON J. AMENT 2 G F O Y 2.3 2 3 7 w.m 3

A TTOR NE Y3,

Jan.2, 1968 M. J AMENT v 3,360,804

TOILET TANK FLUSH VALVE Filed Aug. 12, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.4

INVENTOR MYRON J. AMENT BY M M//n% ATTORNEY United States Patent FLUSHVALVE Pa., assignor to Wallace-Mur- New York, N.Y., a corporation ofABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flush valve assembly for a flush tankcomprising; an arm mount including a lower portion adapted forattachment to the inside of the flush tank, a lever arm pivotallyconnected at one end to the mount and pivotal in a plane generallyperpendicular to the bottom of the tank, stop means defining the extremeupper pivoted position of the arm, a buoyant valve member connected tothe arm and alignable with a cooperating valve seat provided in thetank, and means to connect an actuating chain to the arm adjacent theother end thereof so that an upward force on the chain will disengagethe valve from the valve seat during a flushing operation; wherein thearm mount includes means for securing the flush valve assembly to theflush tank independently of means which may be used for securing theflush tank to a toilet bowl.

This invention relates to a toilet tank flush valve assembly, and moreparticularly to an improved flush valve assembly which may be installedin newly manufactured or existing toilet flush tanks to overcome thecharacteristic hard flushing caused by the force required to actuateconventional toilet tank flush valves.

Prior flush valve assemblies for toilet tanks have often includedcomplicated linkage arrangements for operating the flush valve inperforming a toilet flushing operation. These prior assemblies are oftenhard flushing, namely, undue pressure or force must be applied to theflush handle to operate the flush valve. Further this hard flushingcharacteristic becomes particularly disadvantageous when wear andcorrosion inhibit the eflicient and free operation of the flush valveassembly after a relatively short period of time.

In addition, most commercially available flush valve assemblies cannotbe installed in the flush tank before the tank is positioned in place onthe toilet bowl. Thus, with these prior flush valves, after the tank andbowl have been installed in the bathroom, the labor cost of thereafterfitting the flush valve and associated tank equipment must be allowedfor. Mass production techniques, and the attendant economies flowingtherefrom cannot be utilized when utilizing these prior art flush valveassemblies since the tank equipment cannot be factory installed. Priorassemblies are further disadvantageous in that they are not universallyadaptable to use within flush tanks of varying designs both of new tankdesigns or of the multitude of existing installed tank designs.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide animproved flush valve assembly which provides for low force flushing incontrast to the hard flushing characteristics of toilet tank flush valveassemblies heretofore available.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved flushvalve assembly which may be installed in conventional or standard flushtanks without requiring modification of the tank, and which may beadapted for installation in existing installed flush tanks of varyingdesign.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide an improvedflush valve assembly which may be factory installed in the flush tankand temporarily retained therein before the flush tank is placed on thetoilet bowl.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved flushvalve assembly for toilet tanks which is economical to manufacture, easyto install in standard flush tanks, and which is simply constructed ofnon-corrosive parts so that its operation is not inhibited by wear andcorrosion.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be come apparentfrom the following description of specific embodiments thereof.

Generally described this invention comprises a flush valve assembly fora flush tank comprising an arm mount adapted for attachment to theinside of said flush tank, a lever arm pivotally connected at one end tosaid mount to be pivotal in a plane generally perpendicular to thebottom of said tank, stop means defining the extreme upper pivotedposition of said arm, a buoyant valve member connected to said armintermediate the ends of said arm and cooperable with a valve seatprovided in the tank when said arm is pivoted to its lowermost position,and means to connect an actuating chain to said arm adjacent to theother end of said arm whereby an upward force on said chain willdisengage said valve member from the valve seat to initiate a flushingoperation.

This invention may be described more specifically by reference to theaccompanying drawings disclosing specific embodiments. In thesedrawings:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view of one embodiment of this inventionshowing the valve assembly mounted within a flush tank, shown insection, having the outlet seat and the tank overflow cast integrallywith the tank,

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective exploded view of the valve assembly shown inFIGURES 1 and 2,

FIGURE 4 is an elevational view of a modification of this inventionshowing the valve assembly mounted within a flush tank having aconventional outlet, portions of the tank, outlet, toilet bowl, etc.,being shown in section, and

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view taken on line 55 of FIGURE 4.

The drawings illustrate two embodiments of the invention. The firstembodiment, as shown in FIGURES 1 through 3, is adapted for use in flushtanks where there is a known predetermined spacing between the flushtank water outlet and the mounting apertures by means of which the tankis bolted to the toilet bowl, such as when the flush valve assembly isto be installed as original equipment by the tank manufacturer. Themodification of the valve assembly shown in FIGURES 4 and 5 is adaptedfor use with flush tanks having different spacings between the flushoutlet and the tank mounting apertures, as in applications where thevalve assembly is to be employed to replace a worn original-equipmentvalve or installed in a flush tank after the tank is in place in thebathroom.

Referring initially to FIGURES 1-3 of these drawings, the flush valveassembly is shown installed in a flush tank T. The bottom wall 1 offlush tank T includes a pair of mounting apertures 2 through each ofwhich a conventional bolt may extend to secure the tank to the top of atoilet bowl in the known conventional manner of fastening a tank to thetoilet bowl. The bottom wall 1 also includes a flush outlet 3 throughwhich the flush water flows during the flushing operation.

In the embodiment of FIGURE 1, the outlet 3, a valve seat 10 and anoverflow tube 11 are cast integrally as parts of the flush tank T duringthe casting operation, the overflow tube conveniently communicating withoutlet 3 through the opening shown in FIGURE 1. In tank T the lateralspacing between the mounting apertures 2 and the flush outlet 3 is knownwithin normal manufacturing tolerances and thus the flush valve assemblycan be sized to mate with the predetermined spacing of these openingsand, as will be described, factory installed incident to manufacture ofthe tank at a cost saving over separate shipment of the tank and valveassembly followed by jobsite installation of the assembly.

The flush valve assembly includes an arm mount 4, which is preferablybifurcated, as seen clearly in FIG- URE 3. The lower end of this mount 4is provided with a flange 16, and a threaded shank 5 extending downward-1y below the flange. An aperture 8 extends through flange 16 and shank5, as seen in FIGURE 2. The function of aperture 8 will be disclosed inmore detail hereinbelow.

The flush valve assembly further includes a lever arm 20 pivotallymounted near its one end 21 to the upper portion of arm mount 4 by meanssuch as pins 22. This arm 213 and the above-described arm mount 4 arepreferably constructed of a light-weight material, such as a suitableplastic to resist wear and corrosion under constant submersion in water.Arm 20 has a generally rectangular cross section to provide asubstantially flat undersurface 23.

As seen from FIGURES 1 and 3, the other end 24 of arm 20 is providedwith means to connect a flush actuating chain 25 to the arm. In thisparticular embodiment, such connecting means comprises a slot 26 formedin the end 24 of arm 20 leading to a pocket in which one of the links ofchain 25 may be detachably engaged. As seen in FIGURE 3, slot 26 issubstantially vertical to permit the chain 25 to extend directly upwardtoward a conventional flush mechanism, not shown. By this connectionbetween arm 20 and actuating chain 25 it is apparent that an upwardforce on the chain through actuation of a conventional flush lever andhandle mounted on the tank will cause the arm 20 to pivot about the pins22 to begin the flushing operation.

The tank flush valve assembly also includes stop means, generallyindicated by the reference numeral 30, to limit the upward pivoting ofarm 20 caused by an upward pull on the chain 25. This stop means 30comprises a pair of oppositely-inclined abutment surfaces 31 and 31which are preferably integrally formed with the upper portion of thelegs of arm mount 4 below the pivot pins 22. Thus, abutment 31 willengage the end 21 of arm 20 when the arm has pivoted upwardly to itsmaximum desired position and prevent further rotation of the arm. Ifdesired, each of the legs of the end 21 of the arm may be provided witha downward projection 32 which cooperates with the stop means 30 tolimit the rotation of arm N. The cooperation between projection 32 andabutment 31 is illustrated in phantom in FIGURE 1. The provision ofoppositely-inclined abutments 31 and 31' permits the mount 4 to bereversible relative to the arm 20, so that it can be readily installedin a flush tank in either direction and still provide an effective upperlimit stop position for arm 20.

The flush valve assembly has a conventional buoyant valve member 40connected to arm 20 by a screw 41 intermediate the ends 21 and 24 of thearm. This buoyant valve member may be of rubber or plastic to beflexibly resilient in mating with the cast valve seat in shutting offoutflow of water from tank T. It also is, as is usual, hollow to containair in rendering it buoyant and may be open at the bottom end such thatany Water entering the hollow valve member when the flush valve isopened will readily drain through the tank outlet 3 when the valvemember seats in closing. To allow adjustment for flush tanks ofdifferent spacing between outlet 3 and aperture 2, the arm 20 isprovided with a plurality of holes 42 through which the screw 41 mayextend, as illustrated in FIGURE 3. The necessary lateral spacingbetween the buoyant valve member 40 and the arm mount 4 thus can beprovided by connecting the valve member to arm 20 through the properhole in the arm.

Preferably the distance between buoyant valve 46 and end 24 of arm Ztlis greater than the corresponding distance from valve 40 to pivot pins22 at the end 21 of the arm, as seen from FIGURE 1. With thisrelationship the arm 20 provides a substantial moment arm through whichthe actuating force applied to the chain 25 operates to unseat the valve40 in initiating the flushing operation. This moment arm avoids to amaterial extent the hard flushing characteristic of flush valveassemblies heretofore available.

To install the assembly of FIGURES 13 in a flush tank, the buoyant valve4-0 is first connected to the arm 20 through the proper hole 42 by meansof screw 41. The proper hole is determined by the lateral spacingbetween the flush outlet 3 and the mounting aperture 2 in the flush tankT with which the flush valve assembly is to be used. The threaded shankS on the lower portion of the arm mount 4 is then inserted through onemounting aperture 2 of tank T and retained therein by the nut 6, asshown on FIGURE 1. Nut 6, which may be plastic like arm mount 4, istightened to bring the flange 16 of the arm mount into engagement withthe upper surface of bottom wall 1 of the tank T to secure the valveassembly to the tank. A suitable gasket '7 may be inserted between thewall 1 and the flange 16 to insure against water leakage from the tankthrough mounting aperture 2.

This connection of the flush valve assembly to the tank T, as providedby nut 6, is sufliciently secure to temporarily retain the flush valveassembly in proper position within the tank T while being moved, as inbu ing shipped to the location where it is to be mounted on top of atoilet bowl. Thus the flush valve assembly can be assembled with thetank at the factory and the cost of separately packaging and shippingthe tank and assembly is saved as well as saving the cost of a plumberin mounting and adjusting a separately shipped flush valve with a tankat the bathroom location.

At the bathroom location, after the tank T is mounted on a conventionaltoilet bowl, not shown in FIGURE 1, the tank T can readily be secured tothe bowl by extending a standard flat-head bolt 9 through the aperture 8in the threaded shank 5 of the arm mount 4. This fiathead bolt 9 isshown in phantom in FIGURES 1 and 2, and preferably includes a resilientwasher 15 positioned under the head of the bolt to make the connectionfluid tight. This bolt and a similar bolt inserted through the otheraperture 2 in the bottom wall 1 of tank T will extend down through themounting holes conventionally supplied in the top of the toilet bowlwith appropriate washers and nuts applied to these two fastening boltsto draw the tank down and secure it to the toilet bowl top. When soassembled, the bolt 9 firmly fixes the arm mount 4 to the wall 1 of tankT and the holding effect of nut 6 on shank 5 of the arm mount is nolonger necessary although the nut 6 is left in place between the tank Tand toilet bowl top while the holding power of bolt 9 retains the flushvalve assembly in place during use.

The flush valve assembly in accordance with FIGURES 1-3 of thisinvention can thus be readily installed in a standard flush tank TWithout modifying the flush tank. Even when affixed to the tank at thefactory and before the tank is associated with the toilet bowl it doesnot interfere with the conventional connections to be made between thefiush tank and the toilet bowl. In addition, since the installation ofthis flush valve assembly does not require the flush tank to beinitially positioned on the top of a toilet bowl, the valve assemblyinstallation can be accomplished by factory mass-production techniques,such as in the factory where the flush tanks are manufactured, withconsequent cost savings as have previously been men tioned.

Another embodiment of the flush valve assembly of this invention isillustrated in FIGURES 4 and 5. This flush valve assembly embodiment isadaptable for installation in flush tanks having different lateralspacing between the mounting apertures and flush outlet of the tank dueto different manufacturing and casting specifications of differentmanufacturers. This embodiment is, therefore, particularly useful as areplacement flush valve in existing installed flush tanks. In FIGURES 4and 5 similar elements of the flush valve assembly are indicated by thesame reference numerals as hereinbefore used with the embodiment ofFIGURES 1-3.

As shown 011 FIGURE 4, the flush valve assembly comprises an arm pivotedto an arm mount 4 by pins 22 on the spaced legs of mount 4. A buoyantvalve 40 is secured to arm 20 by a screw 41. The end 24 of arm 25) isprovided with an actuating chain 25 connected to the arm by means of theslot 26 leading to a pocket in the arm end 24- which fastens the chainend to the arm. The arm mount 4 also includes stop means 30 to limitupward pivoting of arm 20 in the same manner as hereinbefore described.

In this embodiment the above-described threaded shank 5, shown inFIGURES 1-3 on arm mount 4, is eliminated and replaced by a flat base 50which joins the spaced legs in making up the arm mount 4. As shown onFIGURE 5, this base member 50 is provided with a slot 51 which extendsgenerally parallel to the arm 20 when such arm is mounted on arm mount4. This elongated slot 51 permits the valve to be adapted to flush tanksof various design, as fully described hereinbelow.

The flush tank T in which the flush valve assembly of the FIGURE 4 and 5embodiment is to be installed is illustrated in FIGURE 4 as including aflush outlet 3' positioned in the bottom wall 1 of the tank. The tank T'differs from the tank T of FIGURE 1 in that a simple opening is providedin the tank bottom wall without a cast seat associated with such openingand there is no overflow tube cast integrally with the tank T.

A conventional flush valve seat 60 is shown positioned in fluid-tightconnection within outlet 3 to provide an outlet passage for the flushwater, and to provide a valve seat for the buoyant valve 40. This flushvalve seat will also have the conventional passage leading from beneaththe valve seat laterally within the tank and communicating with anoverflow tube supported on the metal casting usually forming the valveseat and passage. These features of a flush valve seat such as at areconventional in the art and therefore are not illustrated on FIGURE 4.The flush valve seat 60 is secured in the tank outlet with the usualinternally threaded ring nut and gaskets to seal against water leakage.

Tank T also includes spaced mounting apertures 2' in its bottom wall 1,which may vary in diameter, and in lateral spacing from flush outlet 3,ticular specifications of the tank manufacturer. The lateral spacingbetween the mounting apertures 2 and the flush outlet 3 may also bevaried by the specific design or type of flush valve 60 installed in thetank outlet opening. Therefore, this embodiment of the inventionprovides a flush valve assembly adaptable for mounting within existinginstalled flush tanks and is particularly suitable as a replacementpart.

To install the assembly of FIGURES 4 and 5 in flush tank T, the lowersurface of base member 50 is positioned above one of the mountingapertures 2', and a short flathead bolt 70 is extended through the slot51 and the aperture 2. An elongated nut 71 is then screwed onto the bolt70, as shown on FIGURE 4, to temporarily retain the valve assembly inplace in the Tank T. A suitable gasket 72 is placed between the bolthead and the base 50 to make the connection fluid-tight. The entirevalve assembly may then be shifted laterally to adjust the assembly sothat the buoyant valve 40 is properly positioned relative to the valveseat provided by the flush valve seat 60. After proper positioning ofthe buoyant valve 40 is obtained, the nut 71 is tightened to completethe installation.

It will be apparent that this embodiment of the invenaccording to thepartion may be installed in flush tanks before the tank is placed on atoilet bowl, and is thus capable of being installed by mass productiontechniques in the factory. The elongated nut 71 will retain this valveassembly in place within the tank T during storage, or during shipmentto the location at which the tank T is to be assembled with a toiletbowl.

To assemble tank T including this valve assembly to a toilet bowl 90, astandard gasket 91 is first placed between the tank and the bowl to makethe assembly fluid-tight. The nut 71 then passes through this gasket anda threaded stud 73 is engaged with the lower end of elongated nut 71. Asshown on FIGURE 4, this stud 73 extends downwardly through the top oftoilet bowl and is secured to the bowl by conventional means such as nut74. Alternatively, if the tank T is in position on bowl 90 before theflush valve assembly is placed within the tank, the valve assembly canbe secured in place by merely using a standard bolt 80, shown on theleft side of FIGURE 4, through the slot 51 of base 50. The valveassembly in accordance with this invention thereby permits the use ofconventional connections between the flush tank T and toilet bowl 90 andis adjustable for use in a variety of toilet assemblies.

To initiate the flushing operation using either of the above-describedembodiments, actuating chain 25 is pulled upwardly by actuation of theusual flushing lever and handle, not shown. This upward force iscommunicated to end 24 of arm 20 and the arm is pivoted upwardly in aplane substantially normal to the bottom of the tank. Due to thesubstantial lever-arm distance between end 24 and the flush valve 40, asubstantial pivotmg force is thereby created which readily disengagesvalve 40 from its valve seat to begin the flushing operation.

Once the buoyant flush valve 41 is disengaged from its valve seat, thenormal buoyancy of the valve 40 will cause it to float upward and remaindisengaged from the valve seat until the tank is nearly empty. Thisbuoyancy is most effective by reason of the fact that arm 20 isconstructed of a light-weight material, such as a suitable plastic.

As the flushing water is flowing through the flush outlet in the tank,the stop means 30 operates to limit the upward pivoting of valve 40 andarm 20 by the engagement of projection 32 with abutment 31 occurringwhen arm 20 reaches its upward position, as shown in phantom in FIGURE 1is retained in an inclined position. Valve 40 is thereby maintained in aposition from which it may readily return by gravity to engage the valveseat 10 after the flushing operation is completed, thereby insuringrapid and positive seating of the buoyant valve. Further, because of thesimplicity and plastic construction of the flush valve assembly of thisinvention, wear and corrosion normally occurring within the flush tankwill not prevent the valve 40 from positively engaging its valve seat.

After water discharges from the flush tank through the flush outlet 3,valve 40 and arm 20 will float downwardly on the lowering water leveluntil the buoyant valve is again seated in the valve seat. The flushingcycle is thus completed.

Although the above description has made reference only to specificembodiments of this invention, the scope of the invention is not limitedthereby, but is defined solely by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A flush valve assembly for a flush tank comprising:

an arm mount including a lower portion adapted for attachment to thebottom wall of the flush tank through an outlet aperture with the upperportion of said mount extending upwardly into said tank, said lowerportion of said mount including means to secure said assembly to thebottom of the flush tank and further including an opening through whicha mounting bolt may extend to secure the flush tank to the top of atoilet bowl,

a lever arm pivotally connected at one end to the upper portion of saidmount and pivotal in a plane generally perpendicular to the bottom ofthe tank,

stop means including an abutment means positioned on said arm mountbelow the pivotal connection of said arm thereto, said abutment meansbeing angularly inclined in the direction of pivoting of said arm andengageable with said one end of said arm for limiting the upwardrotation thereof,

a buoyant valve member connected to said arm intermediate the ends ofsaid arm and alignable with a cooperating valve seat provided in thetank, and

means to connect an actuating chain to said arm adjacent to the otherend thereof, whereby an upward force on said chain will disengage saidvalve from the valve seat during the flushing operation.

2. A flush valve assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said abutmentcomprises a first surface angularly inclined in the direction ofpivoting of the arm and a second surface adjacent to the first surfaceand inclined in an opposite direction so that said arm mount isreversible with respect to the arm.

3. A flush valve assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said one end ofsaid arm includes a projection extending downwardly for engagement withsaid abutment.

4. A fiush valve assembly for a flush tank comprising:

an arm mount including a lower portion adapted for attachment to thebottom wall of the flush tank through an outlet aperture with the upperportion of said mount extending upwardly into said tank, said lowerportion including means to secure said assembly to the bottom of theflush tank and further including an opening through which a mountingbolt may extend to secure the flush tank to the top of a toilet bowl,

a lever arm pivotally connected at one end to the upper portion of saidmount and pivotal in a plane generally perpendicular to the bottom ofthe tank,

stop means including an abutment means positioned on said arm mount andengageable with one end of said arm for limiting the upward rotationthereof,

a buoyant valve member connected to said arm intermediate the endsthereof and alignable with a cooperating valve seat provided in thetank, and

means to connect an actuating chain to said arm adjacent the other endthereof, whereby an upward force on said chain will disengage said valvefrom the valve seat during the flushing operation.

5. A flush valve assembly as recited in claim 4 wherein said means tosecure said assembly to the bottom of the flush tank comprises a shankadapted to extend through the tank aperture provided in the bottom wallof the flush tank and means engageable with said shank toretain saidshank within said aperture.

6. A flush valve assembly as recited in claim 4 wherein said means tosecure said assembly to the bottom of the flush tank comprises a base onthe lower end of said arm mount, said base including a slot to receive abolt adapted to extend through the aperture in the bottom of the flushtank to secure said base to said tank, said bolt being laterallyslidable within said slot so that the position of said valve assembly isadjustable within said tank.

'7. A flush valve assembly for a flush tank comprising:

an arm mount including a lower portion adapted for attachment to thebottom wall of the flush tank through an outlet aperture and furtherincluding an upper bifurcated portion extending upwardly into said tank,said lower portion including means to secure said assembly to the bottomof the flush tank and further including an opening through which amounting bolt may extend between said bifurcated upper portion to securethe flush tank to the top of a toilet bowl,

a lever arm pivotally connected at one end to the bifurcated upperportion of said mount and pivotal in a plane generally perpendicular tothe bottom of the tank, said one end of said arm being bifurcated topermit a mounting bolt to be inserted downwardly between said bifurcatedupper portion of the mount,

stop means defining the extreme upper pivoted position of said arm,

a buoyant valve member connected to said arm intermediate the endsthereof and alignable with a cooperating valve seat provided in thetank, and

means to connect an actuating chain to said arm adjacent to the otherend thereof, whereby an upward force on said chain will disengage saidvalve from the valve seat during the flushing operation.

8. A flush valve assembly for a flush tank comprising:

an arm mount including a lower portion adapted for attachment to thebottom wall of the flush tank through an outlet aperture with the upperportion of said mount extending upwardly into said tank, said lowerportion including means to secure said assembly to the bottom of theflush tank independently of means which may be used for securing theflush tank to the top of a toilet bowl,

a lever arm pivotally connected at one end to the upper portion of saidmount and pivotal in a plane generally perpendicular to the bottom ofthe tank,

stop means defining the extreme upper pivoted position of said arm,

a buoyant valve member connected to said arm intermediate the endsthereof and alignable with a cooperating valve seat provided in thetank, and

means to connect an actuating chain to said arm adjacent the other endthereof, whereby an upward force on said chain will disengage said valvefrom the valve seat during the flushing operation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,615,174 10/1952 Barling et al.467 2,649,772 8/1953 Smith 137-445 2,680,248 6/1954 Stewart 4672,744,261 5/1956 Gram 467 2,776,437 1/1957 Detjen 4-57 2,781,521 2/1957Schmidt et al. 457 2,810,915 10/1957 Zinkil 4--57 2,822,552 2/1958Zinkil et a1 457 2,833,302 5/1958 Smith 137445 2,878,485 3/1959 Brown457 2,992,806 7/1961 Kanter et al. 4-57 3,209,374 10/1965 Waltz 4185LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner.

